462668 - crash when executing firefox with X Window System error "BadAlloc (insufficient resources for operation)"

Status: RESOLVED INCOMPLETE

(Firefox :: General, defect)

Description

[Pep]

User-Agent:       Opera/9.62 (X11; Linux i686; U; en) Presto/2.1.1
Build Identifier: firefox 3.0.3 from http://www.mozilla-europe.org/es/firefox/

I was surfing the web with several tabs opened. Firefox begins to freeze so I xkilled it. After than I cannot execute firefox nor restarting session neither open new session (forgeting about opened tabs)

When starting firefox it crashes with the following error:

The program 'firefox-bin' received an X Window System error.
This probably reflects a bug in the program.
The error was 'RenderBadPicture (invalid Picture parameter)'.
(Details: serial 4023 error_code 168 request_code 152 minor_code 5)
(Note to programmers: normally, X errors are reported asynchronously;
that is, you will receive the error a while after causing it.
To debug your program, run it with the --sync command line
option to change this behavior. You can then get a meaningful
backtrace from your debugger if you break on the gdk_x_error()
function.)

so I run firefox with --sync option to see the 'real' error and it says:

The program 'firefox-bin' received an X Window System error.
This probably reflects a bug in the program.
The error was 'BadAlloc (insufficient resources for operation)'.
(Details: serial 2143 error_code 11 request_code 53 minor_code 0)
(Note to programmers: normally, X errors are reported asynchronously;
that is, you will receive the error a while after causing it.
To debug your program, run it with the --sync command line
option to change this behavior. You can then get a meaningful
backtrace from your debugger if you break on the gdk_x_error()
function.)

I executed it restarting session and also opening new session, always same error.

At this point I try the following steps:

1. Execute firefox in safe mode checking 'reset toolbar & controls' and 'reset default prefs' options and clicking on 'apply changes & reset' button. I get same error.

2. Execute firefox in safe mode checking all options and clicking on 'apply changes & reset' button. I get same error.

3. Execute firefox in safe mode checking all options and clicking on 'continue in safe mode' button. I get same error.

4. Execute firefox creating new profie (-P). I get same error.

Thinking it may be a problem with any pluggin or web pages I removed personal folder .mozilla at my home folder. This way no session info persists. Try to execute firefox and again same error. Again tring the previous 4 steps with same result. The only difference is this way it shows license window before crashing.

Now I tried to reinstalling firefox. I removed /opt/firefox folder and /home/myuser/.mozilla folder. Dowloaded firefox 3.0.3 from official site (http://www.mozilla-europe.org/es/firefox/), extracted to /opt/firefox and tried to execute it. I got same error. After 4 steps, always same error.

Then I tried to install iceweasel from official debian repository to see if it was a problem of firefox or common to both (maybe gecko or so). I removed /opt/firefox and /home/myuser/.mozilla folders and installed iceweasel with apt. Then when executing iceweasel I got exactly the same error.

So I tried to trace firefox execution (clean install of official firefox and also iceweasel clean install):

$ strace /opt/firefox/firefox

I saw nothing strange but I can include the strace log if you want. Of course same error.

So I tried to debug firefox-bin with gdb and again I saw nothing strange but a lot of threads opened wich I don't know if it is strange but I suspected due to error being 'BadAlloc (insufficient resources for operation)'. Obviously again same error.

There is never any message in .mozilla/Crash Report so I suppose the error is prior to Crash Report system. I tried to remove all content in .mozilla/Crash Report and execute firefox (which obviously fails with same error). What I get in Crash Report folder is two files: InstallTime2008092416 and UserID

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. execute firefox:   $ /opt/firefox/firefox --sync
2.
3.
Actual Results:  
 firefox crashes with X window system error:
The program 'firefox-bin' received an X Window System error.
This probably reflects a bug in the program.
The error was 'BadAlloc (insufficient resources for operation)'.
(Details: serial 2143 error_code 11 request_code 53 minor_code 0)
(Note to programmers: normally, X errors are reported asynchronously;
that is, you will receive the error a while after causing it.
To debug your program, run it with the --sync command line
option to change this behavior. You can then get a meaningful
backtrace from your debugger if you break on the gdk_x_error()
function.)

Expected Results:  
start firefox

it may be similar to bug 450213 and bug 451956 and maybe related to bug 455701

Comment 2

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Michele, pep, can you reproduce with FF 3.5, or 3.6 beta?
 3.6 ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/nightly/latest-mozilla-1.9.2/

if not, this and likely bug 451956 are dupes of bug 424333